Marmot Basin History

Marmot Basin's history begins in the 1960s, when interest in developing a ski area near Jasper grew as tourism expanded within Canada's national parks. The site on Marmot Mountain was chosen for its consistent snow, sheltered aspects, and proximity to the town of Jasper. Construction began in 1961, and the resort officially opened in 1964 with a single T-bar and a handful of cut runs. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Marmot Basin steadily modernized, adding chairlifts, expanding terrain into new bowls and ridgelines, and improving road access from Jasper. A major milestone came in 1986 with the installation of the long, upper-mountain "Knob" chairlift, which opened some of the resort's most iconic alpine terrain. Continued upgrades in the 1990s and 2000s brought high-speed quads, expanded snowmaking, and improved lodge facilities, helping the resort keep pace with modern ski standards while maintaining its uncrowded, natural character. The opening of the Tres Hombres expert zone in 2017 marked one of the most significant expansions in decades, adding hundreds of vertical metres of steep, ungroomed terrain. Today, Marmot Basin remains one of the few major North American ski areas located entirely within a national park, blending its decades-long ski heritage with strict environmental stewardship and a low-key, community-focused atmosphere. Ski Jasper National Park